This invention relates to a tape feeder which is provided into an electronic part mounting apparatus and which feeds electronic parts held by the tape to a pick-up position for a mount head.
There is known generally a tape feeder for feeding electronic parts held by a carrier tape that is used as a feeding device of the electronic parts in an electronic part mounting apparatus. In such a tape feeder, accompanying with downsizing of the electronic parts such as semiconductor chips, troubles can be easily caused due to unstabilized positions of the electronic parts that are caused by impact or static electricity during tape feeding. In other words, as the electronic parts contained in pockets are brought into exposed state by peeling a top tape covering upper faces of the electronic parts before reaching the pick-up position, impacts are posed on the electronic parts when stopping and moving in tape feeding operation. Accordingly, the electronic parts in the pockets behave unstably, so that operational troubles such as pick-up error can be easily caused. At this time, if the carrier tape is electrostatically charged, the positions of the electronic parts can be further unstable.
To improve the above situation, there has been proposed conventionally a tape feeder which deals with stabilization of the electronic parts at the pick-up position (see, for example, Japanese Patent Publication No. H11-307992A). In this publication, a magnet is disposed on a lower support member to the carrier tape provided in a traveling path of the carrier tape in a tape feeder main body. By this construction, magnetic force by the magnet is affected to the electronic parts from the lower face of the carrier tape, so that an effect to prevent deterioration of the positions of the electronic parts is obtained.
However, there have been the following disadvantages in such the conventional tape feeder.
That is, since carrier tapes used in the same tape feeder have different widths and different sectional shape according to their types, it is necessary to replace the lower support member on which the magnet is disposed when the carrier tape is changed. Therefore, there are problems that equipment cost and management cost are increased by reserving a variety of lower support members, and that it takes time and labor for equipment replacement operation for the change of the carrier tape type.
The present invention has been made in view of the above circumstances, and an object of the invention is to provide a tape feeder in which the lower support member can be commonly employed and is superior in versatility, so that the equipment replacement operation for the change of the tape can be simplified.